500 Startups has launched its first “distro bootcamp” in Israel in partnership with Google, Amazon AWS, Poalim Hi-Tech, Meitar and WeWork and has selected 9 B2B companies for its first cohort. Distro Bootcamp is a selective 4 week education program specifically designed from the ground up to help pre-seed and seed stage companies develop a systematic approach to reach product market fit, and assist founders with sales, marketing and distribution. The program is uncompromisingly focused on actionable training and taught by the 500 Startups in-house distribution team from San Francisco and London with 1-on-1 sessions with International and local entrepreneurs. The program stems from and is a shorter, compact version of our Series A program that runs globally with 12 …

Recently, a 500 colleague posted this on social media: “Diversity and equality is NOT about women who succeed because they sacrifice everything else so they “have nothing else to do but work”. It’s about EVERYONE stepping up to the plate and pitching in. So we as a society don’t ever have to choose life OR work, but rather being able to do both well.” This colleague isn’t a parent, nor is he planning to have kids anytime soon. Yet he still felt adamantly about the importance of gender parity and acknowledging that it’s everyone’s responsibility. Breaking down barriers is tough. Many companies make the mistake of dismissing diversity early on, only to realize later how foundational it is to their …

Applications are now open for our highly sought-after Venture Capital Unlocked investor education program. It will be held July 24th – August 4th in Silicon Valley. An early admission rate of 21K is available through May 1st for a limited number of spots. Apply Here Venture Capital Unlocked: Secrets of Silicon Valley Investing is a two week executive level education program in which participants get an inside look into 500 Startups’ investment playbook and gain firsthand access to top Silicon Valley VCs, angels, startups and entrepreneurs. Hear from past participants on why they decided to take the program and on their favorite VC Unlocked session. The program is taught by our highly experienced 500 Startups partners and Stanford faculty who specialize in venture capital …

Great news for Latin-American Startups! 500 Startups is launching its second Latin American Regional fund, Luchadores II, which is targeting $10M in commitments to invest in Spanish-speaking and LatAm founders. The International Finance Corporation (IFC, a member of the World Bank Group) will be the first anchor investor in the 500 Startups’ Luchadores II Fund. Having one of the most important international groups and their network backing up Luchadores II makes this fund a very promising and interesting investment opportunity for potential LPs in the region. 500 Startups is the most active early stage investor in the LatAm & Spanish-speaking market with over 100 companies and over $8M USD invested in the region since 2013. “The support of the IFC, …

As 500 Startups enters its seventh year, I’d like to welcome an old friend and ex-PayPal colleague to the team, Aman Verjee, who is joining us as COO and will also be joining the 500 Startups management team. I’ve known Aman for over a decade and aside from some really bad puns and questionable sartorial decisions, he’s a pretty awesome person. Aman has over fifteen years of operating experience in both public and private technology companies including PayPal, eBay, Sonos, Collective, and CAN Capital. Over the years he’s helped raise nearly a billion dollars from top VC and PE firms such as Accel, Greycroft, and KKR, and banks such as Morgan Stanley, SunTrust, Wells Fargo, UBS, JPMorgan and Barclays. For …

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